Parents of students at a preschool in Strasbourg kept their children home on Monday, September 14, to protest what they described as a lack of action by the National Education system in response to allegations of sexual violence involving a 5-year-old girl and several of her classmates. According to accounts shared by the parents, seven children have reported being victims of sexual aggression, including digital penetration, during the 2025-26 school year. The protests were driven by frustration over what parents described as a delayed response and a failure to act on previous concerns. Cédric, a parent whose 4-year-old daughter participated in the protest, said, "We want strong measures. We need to know exactly why the reports were not made in a timely manner, why nothing was done last year, why there was an omerta around this." He emphasized the need to protect children and to listen to their concerns. Aurore (name changed), whose two children, aged 3 and 4 at the time, reported troubling incidents, expressed disappointment with the school’s response. She said, "There was clearly a minimization of the facts from the school." Parents were reportedly told that incidents involving undergarments were common and that they should not overreact. "For us, fingers in the 'zézette,' is not childish curiosity," she said, referring to a French term that describes a child’s playful exploration of genitalia, which she argued was being trivialized. Aurore learned in June that the incidents her children described were not isolated, and she was informed in late August that the girl in question would no longer be enrolled in preschool. However, the girl is now in first grade at the same school, meaning the children will still interact with her. In an email sent to families on September 8, the school principal acknowledged that "last year, some preschool children may have had inappropriate behaviors touching on intimacy." The regional education authority defended its actions, stating that "the situations reported have been subject to the appropriate procedures," which included an internal administrative investigation, offering psychological support to some students, and submitting a report to the information collection, processing, and evaluation unit (CRIP). The CRIP is a French organization that gathers data on child protection cases and helps coordinate responses. The Strasbourg city council said it had "taken the alerts very seriously" and announced several measures for the 2026-2027 school year, including "enhanced monitoring" of playgrounds and restrooms. These steps aim to prevent similar incidents and ensure a safer environment for students. The situation has sparked a broader conversation about how schools handle reports of child abuse and the importance of taking such allegations seriously from the outset.